Zoo welcomes third giraffe born this year

Saturday

Apr 5, 2014 at 8:53 PMApr 6, 2014 at 4:24 PM

Zachary ComeauDaily News Staff

MENDON - For the third time this year, Southwick’s Zoo added another member to its giraffe population last week.In January and February, the zoo welcomed two giraffes – Daisy and Rocket, who are maturing and growing as expected, said zoo owner Betsey Brewer.And on Thursday, just after 10 a.m., an adult female, Pinda, gave birth to a 140-pound, almost six-feet-tall male giraffe.Unlike Daisy and Rocket, who were named by the staff at Tufts Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University in Grafton after requiring medical attention, the newest giraffe at Southwick’s has not been named, but Brewer said this may be a good thing.According to Brewer, Pinda has been caring for her baby, unlike Daisy’s mother, who wouldn’t care for her, for some reason."His mom took instant good care of him," she said.Brewer said a typical gestation period is 13 to 14 months, but Brewer said zoo workers were unsure of the exact date of conception.With the third giraffe birth already this year, Brewer said space may become a concern and animals may be moved to other zoos in the future, but all three young giraffes will stay at the zoo until they are strong and mature enough to be on their own.Daisy and Rocket are still fed with a bottle formula.The newest baby, Brewer said, will remain with his mom for at least another year.Brewer said her family, which owns the zoo, will name the baby. Since Pinda has shown that she will take care of the baby, Brewer said the zoo will let "nature will take its course," and the zoo does not need to intervene with caring for the giraffe."There’s nothing more beautiful than when we see the mom with the baby and taking care of it," she said.Brewer said the giraffe will be named by the end of the month.Rocket and Daisy are healthy and are expected to become fully-grown adult giraffes, she added.The baby giraffes will be in their natural habitat exhibit when the zoo opens April 12.Zachary Comeau can be reached at 508-634-7556 and zcomeau@wickedlocal.com. Follow him on Twitter @ZComeau_MDN.

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